STADLAND, GERMANY - MARCH 21: Electricity pylons stand in a row leading to the Unterweser nuclear power plant on March 21, 2011 near Stadland, Germany. The Unterweser plant is among seven nuclear ... more

STADLAND, GERMANY - MARCH 21: Electricity pylons stand in a row leading to the Unterweser nuclear power plant on March 21, 2011 near Stadland, Germany. The Unterweser plant is among seven nuclear power reactors built before 1980 that the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has chosen to shut down for three months for a heightened safety and security review following the disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan. Merkel is fending off criticism for the move, which represents a radical reversal of her government's previous policy, citing new circumstances due to the Fukushima meltdown. Nuclear power has long been a highly charged, controversial topic in Germany and opponents are seizing on the new political climate to push for a rapid abandonment of nuclear energy. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) less